WASHINGTON — A Federal Reserve official made a lengthy defense of the central bank’s political independence Thursday, just days after the re-election of former President Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the Fed.

“It has been widely recognized – and this is a conclusion of economic research – that central bank independence is fundamental to achieving good policy and good economic outcomes,” said Adriana Kugler, a of the seven members of the Fed’s board of directors, in a speech prepared for an economic conference in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Kugler added that research finds in particular that greater independence of central banks in advanced economies is linked to lower inflation.

Kugler spoke just a week after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell tersely denied that Trump had the legal authority to fire him, as the president-elect acknowledged he was considering doing during his first term. Powell also said he would not resign if Trump asked.

“I was threatening to fire him, it was a question of whether you could do it or not,” Trump said last month at the Economic Club of Chicago.

Trump said during the campaign that he would let Powell finish his term in May 2026. But in Chicago, he also said, “I have the right to say I think you should increase or decrease a little bit.”

Kugler’s remarks explain why most economists are opposed to the idea of ​​politicians, even elected ones, having influence over interest rate decisions.

A central bank free from political pressure can take unpopular actions, Kugler said, such as raising interest rates, that could cause short-term economic pain but could bring long-term benefits by reducing inflation.